Shen Meng thought of this idea, and then saw the bandits who were committing crimes coming down the path from the hillside.

They were indeed ruthless criminals who had seen blood and were not afraid of death.

She first kicked Liang Jue hard with the tip of her  shoe. Seeing no response, she carefully squatted down with a curved knife, confirming that he was really dead.

The bandit breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to pull the hairpin from Liang Jue’s hand. Although Shen Meng was attached to the hairpin, she had no control over it.

She could only watch helplessly as the vicious and greedy bandit exerted all his strength, trying to pull the blood-stained jade hairpin from Liang Jue’s hand. Even after using all his strength, and even dislocating his arm, the hairpin remained firmly in Liang Jue’s hand.

The bandit cursed under his breath, spat on the ground, rubbed his palms together, and then raised his curved knife to cut Liang Jue’s hand.

As if sensing something, Liang Jue, who had already passed away, shed two tears of blood from the corners of his eyes. Shen Meng’s heart trembled, and in that moment, the seemingly spiritual jade hairpin shattered into pieces.

Jade persists, but lives perish. As the hairpin broke, Shen Meng’s vision went black, and she fell into darkness completely. When she regained consciousness, the surroundings were still dim and noisy, and she could see red everywhere.

Feeling dizzy, she tried to think, but her head throbbed painfully. A hand with a thin layer of calluses timely supported her body, gently massaging her forehead, pulling her back to reality from the chaos of consciousness.

“Can the dead die again?” Shen Meng thought to herself, feeling that although the underworld was somewhat cold and damp, it was noisy and not quite like the hell she had imagined.

The “Ghost Servant” supporting her spoke, “Young Madam, are you feeling better? If you can’t handle it, I’ll find someone else to take over the drinks for you. The master is still waiting for you.”

A cold wind blew through the long corridor, from the lotus pond all the way over, causing Shen Meng to shiver, and she became slightly more awake. Surveying her surroundings and comparing them with her memories, it was clearly the scene of her wedding years ago.

It is said that the eighteenth level of hell is where people constantly recall the most painful moments of their lives, but although marrying Liang Jue might not have brought her much joy, it couldn’t be considered unbearable pain.

Seeing her confused expression, the voice of the “Ghost Servant” became a bit urgent, calling her several times, “Young Madam, Madam?”

Shen Meng finally calmed down, and under the silver moonlight, she observed the person supporting her. The other person had a face that looked ten years younger than she remembered, with a lively expression. Such a nervous and anxious expression rarely appeared on the other person’s face in her memory.

Shen Meng’s thoughts wavered. The Ghost Servant was unexpectedly so dedicated, even simulating this state completely.

She couldn’t help but pinch her palm with her fingertips. Due to her scholarly pursuits, her fingertips were trimmed by servants and smooth, and pinching them wouldn’t cause any harm. The moonlight blurred her senses, but the pain in her palm was unmistakable.

If a person had died, no matter how much they pinched themselves, they wouldn’t feel pain. Shen Meng had verified this clearly when she was still just a wandering soul. But now, the pain felt too real.

Shen Meng’s heart stirred, but she didn’t show any signs on her face, just asked the person beside her in a casual tone, “What day is it today?”

Her young maid was somewhat surprised: “Madam, have you forgotten? Today is your wedding day.”

Shen Meng’s fingertips pinched into her palm even more: “Of course, I haven’t forgotten. I meant, what year and date is it today? I drank a little too much, and my memory is a bit fuzzy.”

Although knowing that her Madam had always had an exceptional memory, her demeanor was too natural, and because she had indeed been persuaded by the guests to drink quite a bit earlier, the maid didn’t notice anything wrong: “You mean this? Today is the year of Bing Shen¹, the month of Yi Hai², and the day of Geng Zi³. It’s an auspicious day for engagements, vows, weddings, and sacrifices.”

Shen Meng’s biological father passed away early, and her stepfather was a formidable figure, but he didn’t dare to act recklessly regarding her marriage. He was quite conscientious, and moreover, the new husband, Lord Liang, came from the Duke’s household. With such backgrounds, in such an important matter, the decision wouldn’t be solely up to the woman’s side.

Before the people from the Duke’s household came personally for her son’s marriage, no one would have thought that Shen Meng would marry such an aristocratic young lord as her husband. She had always remained indifferent, showing no joy towards the young lord, so the household servants dared not say much in front of her, for fear of displeasing her.

Shen Meng thought this might be a dream, but now she was almost certain that she had returned to the day of her marriage to Liang Jue fifteen years ago. Strange thoughts arose in her mind, but after nearly ten years of being a wandering soul, this idea grew rapidly in her mind, and the more she looked around, the more likely it seemed.

The cool night breeze dissipated her drunkenness bit by bit, and the surroundings gradually became clear in her eyes. She straightened her body, shook off the hand of the maid supporting her, gave some simple instructions, and then walked towards the room where Liang Jue was waiting according to her memory.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, around the artificial mountain, through the winding nine-curved corridor, past three compartments, with the red double happiness symbols and two red lanterns hanging, was her new room.

When she arrived, there was still a little servant accompanying the bridegroom waiting at the door, both dressed in bright red, with particularly pleasing double hair buns tied up, their faces reddened by the cool breeze of late autumn. As she approached, the little servant was stamping his feet and blowing into his hands to warm them.

Before she could walk over, the little servant hurried over to her, his eyes shining brightly as he spoke: “Madam, the lord is waiting for you in this room. Please don’t go the wrong way.”

He had been waiting for a long time, feeling frozen by the cold wind, and didn’t see his lady coming over. He had heard earlier that the bridegroom originally fancied Shen Meng’s cousin, but after some twists and turns, the marriage was settled.

He just worried that Shen Meng might not be happy and wouldn’t come over on the wedding night, making it difficult for his young master to stay in the household.

Everyone who came with Liang Jue addressed her as “Madam,” whether they were the main husband or concubines, omitting the last two words in the title.

She responded with a “hm,” which could be considered a response and a promise, nodding slightly, and then bypassed him, striding towards the room where Liang Jue was seated.

When she reached the door, she hesitated for a moment, then decisively pushed it open. After entering, the servant waiting inside got up and said some auspicious words to her, then placed a pair of gold scales and a small box covered in white cloth on the bed, walked out with a freshly painted red face, and very thoughtfully closed the door for the newlyweds.

Perhaps it was because she become young and impulsive, or perhaps it was because returning to the past was too exhilarating, but as she looked at the man sitting dignifiedly in his wedding  attire on the wedding bed, Shen Meng’s heart suddenly inexplicably tensed up.

Notes:

¹”Year of Bing Shen (丙申)”: It’s a specific year in the traditional Chinese calendar, where “Bing” represents the third Heavenly Stem and “Shen” represents the ninth Earthly Branch.

²”Month of Yi Hai (乙亥)”: It indicates a specific month in the Chinese lunar calendar, where “Yi” represents the second Heavenly Stem and “Hai” represents the twelfth Earthly Branch.

³”Day of Geng Zi (庚子)”: It signifies a particular day in the Chinese lunar calendar, with “Geng” representing the seventh Heavenly Stem and “Zi” representing the first Earthly Branch.